Review: Dunk (Lubar)

Title: Dunk
Author: Lubar
Genre: Fiction, Summer, Humor, Friendship
Pages: 260
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Ages: 8th grade and up

I am a fan of David Lubar. I often recommend his titles to my students. "Hidden Talents" is a classic "go to" recommendation for me; his "Weenies" short story collections are a good mix of  funny and spooky (perfect for the tween and young teen crowd); and I cannot tell you how much I LOVE "Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie." But somehow, I have never seen this book, which actually predates many of the aforementioned titles. So I decided to take full advantage of the public library and check this one out.

From the Publisher: 
Chad finds a whole new summer occupation--he wants to be the Bozo, the clown who sits inside the dunk tank and goads people into taking a shot. What could be better than using his razor-sharp wit against a random stranger? But Chad soon discovers he's entered a strange and twisted world where humor packs a loaded punch.

Seriously, how could you not like a book where the main character wants to be a dunk tank clown? Who comes up with a premise like that? Lubar has written a really witty character in Chad. But this book is actually more than just yelling funny insults at people as they pass by (although the insults are quite funny). 

Beneath the humor, there is quite a bit going on here: a story about taking care of your friends and family, having fun, falling in love, and growing up. It is also a terrific look at what it is like to live in a town that people flock to for summer vacation but you're stuck in all year long. This is a glimpse at the life of one such young man during the summer when everything doesn't go quite as he had planned.